From Farm to Centre Court: The Journey Behind Wimbledon’s Iconic Strawberries

Long before the first serve is struck on Centre Court, another Wimbledon tradition is already in motion.

Every summer, hundreds of thousands of tennis fans tuck into one of the tournament’s most enduring symbols: strawberries and cream. The simple dessert has become almost as iconic as the grass courts themselves, delighting spectators, celebrities and players alike.

For world number one Aryna Sabalenka, resisting the seasonal favourite is nearly impossible.

“They’re the best, I’m addicted,” she told the BBC. “I cannot stop eating them.”

Behind every punnet served at Wimbledon is a carefully orchestrated journey that begins miles away from South West London.

A Family Farm Behind a Global Tradition

The strawberries served throughout the Championships come from Hugh Lowe Farms in Mereworth, Kent, where the same family has been growing fruit for Wimbledon for decades.

For Amelia McLean, a fifth-generation member of the farming family, supplying the world’s most famous tennis tournament is both an honour and a responsibility.

“It’s probably the most photographed berry on the planet and so we’re really conscious of making sure that people get the right iconic treat when they go to Wimbledon,” she said.

This year’s growing season has been particularly encouraging.

McLean explained that weather conditions in 2026 helped produce fruit of exceptional quality.

“Everything has ripened up really perfectly,” she said, adding that the strawberries “should have really good quality.”

Farming in an Era of Climate Change

Producing perfect strawberries, however, has become increasingly challenging.

Like farmers around the world, the team at Hugh Lowe Farms is adapting to changing weather patterns driven by climate change. While this year’s hot weather created difficulties, McLean believes years of preparation have helped protect the crop.

She said the farm remained “pretty resilient and well set up for it.”

To safeguard future harvests, the business invested in a new reservoir in 2025 and now captures rainwater runoff from its extensive polytunnel system to strengthen water supplies during prolonged dry spells.

McLean believes water management has become essential for modern fruit farming.

“I think all farmers of our kind of crops are really looking at investing in their water storage.”

A Daily Logistics Operation

Freshness is central to Wimbledon’s strawberry experience.

Throughout the Championships, freshly picked fruit is dispatched from Kent to London every day, where a dedicated logistics team ensures thousands of punnets reach spectators across the grounds.

Ryan Stanton, Wimbledon’s culinary purchasing manager, oversees the operation.

“15 to 16 pallets a day… would come to us early morning,” he explained.

Once delivered, the strawberries are quickly sorted and distributed across the venue.

“As they arrive we would receive them and then basically distribute them around site, mainly to the Strawberry Centre,” Stanton said.

The entire process runs continuously throughout the tournament.

“A lot of planning goes into what we do,” he added, describing the operation as “a labour of love for all of us here.”

The Careful Art of Hulling

Before the strawberries reach eager fans, one final task awaits.

Inside the Strawberry Centre, workers carefully remove each berry’s leafy green top by hand in a process known as hulling.

Using nothing more than a spoon and practiced precision, staff work at remarkable speed while ensuring as much of each strawberry remains intact as possible.

Emily Ostrowska, one of this year’s strawberry hullers, says the job demands both concentration and consistency.

“You’ve got to maintain flow to keep up with the demand.”

Despite processing thousands of berries each day, she still enjoys the work.

“Good fun,” she says.

Although even she admits there may be a limit.

“Maybe after the two weeks,” she laughed, “I would start to get a bit sick of them.”

More Than Just a Dessert

Once hulled, the strawberries are boxed, distributed to kiosks across the grounds and served with cream to thousands of spectators each day.

For many visitors, the dessert is as much a part of Wimbledon as Centre Court, pristine grass and all-white tennis attire.

Behind every serving lies months of farming, climate planning, logistics and meticulous preparation – a reminder that one of sport’s simplest traditions depends on an extraordinary amount of teamwork long before the first racket strikes a ball.